Alpena weekly argus. [volume] (Alpena, Mich.) 1871-1893, 1887-03-02

maue tnere ior you, SO III go anu Hhisii
my pies before tea."
Once alone, the elder Mrs. Bathurst
thought awhile, then nodded with great
determinat on and said to hersef
"Yes | will do It,.
She arose and left the room, but, in
stead of going to her own, she passed
out of the house, and turned in the di-
rection of Captain Gerald's. She
walked briskly and independently
across the snow fields, old lady
who felt her resolution to be right. and
who was going to put her foot down
firmly upon traps of all kinds. Al.
though her heart was filled with kind
ness and generosity, her manner was
severe when the English Captain
opened the door in response to her
knock.
| "Good-evening. Captain Gerald"
| "Good-evening," responded thesCap'
tam, as he stood peering out into the
darkness, quite ignorant as to who his
visitor was, and mystified as to what
she could possibly want at such unsea'
sonable hour. "Will you come in.
madam"
mo think Ill not go in. l can say
all have TO say right here, and need
not trouble your wife with my Grand
/ only came to tell you that If you are
in need of wood, and are too poor to buy
it, I'll give you all you choose to cut of
that wood-lot over yonder. And want
to tell you that you had better not come
to my sons wood-pile tonight, for he
and lot of the neighbors are watching
for you, and you'll certainly be caught
don't approve of traps, so came to
warn you.
What do you meanp" cried the
Captain, angrily. What do you mean
by coming here and insulting mep"
al mean only to do friendly act
Don't come out tonight.
''How dare you say stole your sons
wood? and what do those those cads
mean by talking about setting trap for
mep"
Captain Gerald had only drawn the
door partially to when he stepped out
upon the porch to speak to Mrs.
Bathurst, and his angry voice was heard
by his wife, as she moved quietly about
preparing the meagre supper. She came
to the door, and asked, uneasily, "What
is the matter, Henry?"
"Nothing-nothing, my dear; 60 in
at once; you will get cold"
But Mrs. Gerald was not so easily dis
posed Of '.You must not stand here,
Henry with your bare head. If this
person has any thing to say to you, let
her come into the house. Gomez and
she held the door wide open.
Have you any thing more to say,
madam" Captain Gerald asked III
you have, you may as we'll enter" And
he stood aside for his visitor to pass
Although from the army, he was a
man who submitted at once to any cal
amity rather than fight against it. That
had always been his unsoldierly weak
ness; but this one time, in his weak
ness lay his strength. The three went
in.
"What is it, Henryp"
"This-wom--lady- I believe she is
Mrs. Bathust-has come to offer me a
chance to cut wood upon some of her
land-as she seems to think we are in
need of fuel. She is very kind"
His wife's face frightened up.
"You are indeed very KIND, Mrs.
Bathurst. My husband has been terribly
worried to know how we should keep
warm this winter We had no idea the
cold would be so intense, or we would
have been better provided for before the
winter set in. 1t is our first year in the
country. My husband and often feel
sadly alone and friendless, but your
kind thoughtfulness makes me feel that
after all that we are not entirely with
out friends. f."
"Will You sit DOWN." drawing chair
before the fire, which tried to throw out
the much-ncedcd warmth, but its scanty
supply of material, failed most sadly.
Henry" she continued, show could
you have been angry at an offer so
kindly madeP''
II hope Mrs. Bathurst will pardon me
il have been rude" the Captain has
tened to say, with beseeching glance at
his caller, which she understood and an
swered with nod then retiring into
the background, he left the conversation
to his wife and their new acquaintance
Between the two there seemed at once
established bond of friendship. To
the younger woman it had been
day of unusual loneliness ana dis
couragement, and the elder had come Just
at the moment when simple act of
kindness was very much to her. She re-
cognizcd, too, through the unconven-
tional covering, such a sterling charac-
ter that all reserve on her part soon
vanished, and she gave way to an i'm
pulse to rest upon the self-reliant ma
lure which seemed strong enough to
support the troubles of others as we'll rs
her own. And before she realized it,
l,o nj, har ~ 90
of the perpleXit es which had weighed
it down. and basking in the warm SYM
pathy which flowed over her.
"Tell me whatever you wish to; l am
an old woman, and | can, perhaps, ad-
wise and help you; anyhow ! can SYM
pathze with YOU"
Mrs. Gerald turned toward the speak
er, wiped her eyes, and said, with a
smile which showed how bright and
sunny her face could be, Eyes, begin
to feel that we have made mistake,
and have lived too much within our
selves. But we were strangers, and
felt that we had no claim upon any of
you, and-and'-~
'Oh, know how you felt"' inter-
rupted her visitor; "nevcr mind trying
to tell. or course we are not English,
and are not like the people you have
been used to, still we feel ourselves
but never mind about that. Tell me
your trouble, my dear W tn an allec-
Tomato caress over the hand she had
taken.
1t had been delicate, straight little
hand, but il was hardening with the
drudgery which it now willingly per-
formed, and it appealed to the other
woman very strongly. and strongly, as
hands often do, in their revelation of
character. st
"Well, when my husband-decided to
leave the army, and come to America to
live, had some money invested very
well, as we thought which brought us
enough to live upon very economically;
but about three months ago, the house
which had it failed, and we are now
without pound i'm the world, except as
we look upon our little home here us a
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